Electrolytically formed article



` May 26, 1931.. B, BART 1,307,145

ELECTROLYT I CALLY lFORMID ART I CLE Filed March l1 1925 @www ATTORNEY Patented May 2,6, 1931 PATENT OFFICE v BLASIUS BALT, F EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY ELECTBOLYTICALLY FORMED .ARTICLE Application led Iarch 11I 1925. Serial N'o. 14,645.v

and assemblingV an outline which constitutes: the mold form and which acts to give the..

desired configurationto the resulting article.

One of the objects of the invention is tov l provide a form which can be made with a receiving surface which does not need any coating or other previous preparation in order to prevent sticking or adhering of the subsequently deposited metallic layer. l

Another object of the invention is toprovide a form which will generate a finally completed article as a shell of any desired thiclmess and which will have all the minuteness of configuration and design found on the form, including recesses, indentations, de; viations and even apertures extending entirely through the shell in those cases where a perforated article is desired.l

The invention features the production of electrolytically formed articles of any characterand particularly light articles which are apertured or of skeleton form. The disclosure herein illustrated features the formation of the mold in two parts so that the resulting shell or fabricated article will be made hollow and the invention features a formation of the shell parts in such Way that the abutting edges will have an accurate shaped, iiat, inter-engagement to facilitate the securing of the shell parts Aby electric welding or by other suitable fastening means. y

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of. one form of device embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed. l

In the accompanying'drawings z- 50 Figure 1 is a plan view looking down upon a mold form illustrating a'preferred embodiment of the invention. v

Figure 2 is a view-in side elevation of the mold form shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a perspective vview of the re- 55 sulting article produced on the mold and with parts broken away to show the hollow construction.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

In the drawings and referring to the showing in Figure'l it is to be understood that 65 the mold 10 is split along its medial plane to form two mold halves or parts 11 and 12. This mold ispreferably formed as a casting and has the opposing faces 13 and 14 machined fiat. The mold form ispreferably formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy which has been found to be particularly well ladapted for receivin the deposit of electrolytically precipitated metals. The electro- -lytic deposit can be removedV without making 75 previous preparation to prevent adherence between the mold and the deposit, for the adhesion effect between the aluminum mold and the copper or nickel deposit can be readily overcome by heating. The difference in coefficient of expansion between the deposited metal and the aluminum or aluminum alloy is sufficient to permit the ready separation of the formed shell from the mold form. In

practice it has been found that an alloy of 35 aluminum, 8% copper and 2%' zinc has proven most satisfactory for forming the t mold or mold surface. l

It is obviously within the scope ofthe disclosure to formthe mold part as a shell and 90 if necessary to strengthen the shell by a filler or backing of plaster of Paris or the like.

The mold halves 11 and 12 are positioned" on opposite sides of a sheet of insulating and acid proof material 15. A plate' of eelluloid 95 has been found to be an excellent selection of such insulating material.. The mold halves are temporarily secured toopposite sides of y the insulating -platev and are so positioned that there is a margin 16 of the plate extend- 10 ing beyond the outline of the mold lwhen l assembled thereon and separated thereby, as

shown in Figure 2. vThis margin also provides a means for suspending the mold structure thus formed in an electrolytic tank to have the metallic deposit positioned thereon. In order to .prevent the metal deposit from intruding with any crack which might occur between the Celluloid, plate and the mold edges, it is suggested that the faces of the Celluloid sheet be slightly softened by heat and the mold pressed gently into the softparts of the mold which form the apertures.

The facsmile of these apertures are formed as recesses or apertures 19 in the mold and the recesses or apertures. are ill'ed with any suitable insulating material. It will be understood that the depositing material will not form on the parts formed by the exposed surface of the insulation thus leaving the apertures or recesses of the desired configuration i in the resulting shell.

The electrolytic` deposition follows conventional practices, it being found preferable tostart the deposition with a thin layer of nickel 20 backed and reinforced by a thicker layer ofcopper 21. It will be understood'that this layer or layers of depositedmetal will engage the peripheral outline of the two halves of the mold when positioned on the separating plate 15 and will fiatly abut against the celluloid plate thus forming a Hat abutting edge 22 to each half of the mold. When a suicient thickness of deposit has formed, the mold structure is removed from the bath, slightly heated so as to facil-V itate the separation of the shells .from the mold; after which the mold shells are assembled with their flat edges in abutment and permanentlysecured by welding .or other approved fast'enin means. As an illustra- 'tion of a different orm of' article which can be produced b the method'herein disclosed it is suggeste that a thin lpipe or tube `of nickel or otherA electrolytically deposited material may be formed on an aluminum mandrel and then slipped Volf the mandrel. rl`here is formed bythe practicing of this 1` l.method a cheap hollow metal shell constituting a facsmile of the mold on .which it was formed and which does not reuire any machining or other expensive dining operation to insure the production of a peat,

Vasoam inexpensive form of article. It is obviously,

possible to produce ,any kind of letters, lig-- ures, signs and the like without using saws. chisels or dies to make the cut-outs or perforations in the resulting article. While a hollow article has been described it is obviously possible to form an article on only one side of the Celluloid sheet and as a matter of fact the mold form may be left in the completed article as a reinforcing member. Labor cost is reduced to a minimum for it is simply necessary to hang the mold in the electrolytic tank and from time .to time remove the formed shells therefrom and if. necessary to form the complete article vto assemble the shells in accordance with conventional practices.

While I have shown and described, and have pointed out' in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that variousvomissions, substitutions and changes in the formand details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from ithe spirit of the invention. f

Having thus described my invention, I claim: p,

1. In the art of forming hollow metal arti-. cles, the method which consists in temporarily securing to opposite ,sides of a sheet of insulating and acid p oof material, the two split parts of afo'rmlor model of the article lto be formed, one surface of which form is provided with a recess, confining said model within the outlines of the separating sheet, fillingsaid recess with anlinsulating material; electrolytically depositing on the mold so formed Va layer of metal to form a hollow metallic shell on each half of the mold, removing the shells so formed from the separating sheet and assemblin the shells to form the desired hollow artic e.

2. In the art of forming hollow metal articles, the method which consists in temporarily securing to opposite sides of a sheet of Ainsulating material, the two split arts of a model of the article to be forme one surface of which form is mvided wat e recess, filling said recess vwit an insulating material, electrolytically depositing on the mold so formed a layer of metal to form a hollow metallic shell on each half'of the mold, -removing the shells so formed from the .separating sheet and' assembling the shells to-form the desired hollowarticle. p

3. In the art of forming hollow metal artii cles, the method which consists in temporarily securing to opposite sides off' a sheet of insulating and acid proof material, thegtwo split parts of a form or model of the article to be formed, confining said model withinthe A outlines of the insulatingzsheet, electrolytically depositing on the mold so formed a 'layer of' metal to form aboliew iznetallic'V shell on each half of the mold with their edges abutting opposite sides of the sheet,

-removing the shells so formed from the ina metallic mold of the article to be formed,

with the mold in two parts and having the adjacent faces fiat, positioning a plate of insulating material between the fla-t faces of the two parts of the mold, coating the two parts by metal electrolytically deposited to form metal shells with iat edges adapted to contact when the shells are removed from the insulating plate, and assembling the shells with their edges in contact to form the complete article. s

5. In the art of forming a metal article, the method which consists in slightly heating one face of a sheet of insulating material to soften the same, gently pressin into said softened face a metal form there y closing any cracks between the form and the sheet, and electrolytically depositing a layer of metal on said form and up to the insulating sheet.

6. In the art of forming a metal article, the method which consists in slightly heating one face of a sheet of insulating material to soften the same, gently pressing into said softened face a metalform thereby closing' any cracks between `the form and the sheet and electrolytically depositing a layer ci metal on said form and -up tothe insulating sheet and heating the assembly so formed to assist the separation of the mold, sheetand layer.

7. A electrolytic deposition, formed of aluminum,

copper and zinc in substantially the following proportions, aluminum ninety per cent, copper eight per cent and zinc two per cent.

8.1i. mold for forming articles by electrolytic deposition, said mold including a'hollow metallic form constituting one of a pair of similar formsl co-acting to form the finished article, said form provided with an open side and otherwise closed, a single plate of insulating and acid-proof'material engaging the edges of the form defining said open side and acting to close said open side.

9. In the art of forming hollow metal articies, the method which consists in positioning a metallic orm of said articles on a plate of insulating material, fore' the form into the plate to close the joint erebetween, lling with an insulating substance any exposed recesses or opening in the `form not intended to be plated, and electroplating the form so positioned.

i0. A mold for forming articlesby electrof lytic deposition, said mold including'a iiat plate of insulatin and acid proof material, Y a metallic form avng an open side Vand otherwise closed temporaril secured to one side of the plate, positione within the outlines of the plate and spaced from its outlining edge whereby the insulating late projects beyond the outlining edge o? the open side of the mold, and saidv late closing said open side, leaving the outsi e of the form and the joint between the plate and form exposed to receive a coating of metal electrolytically deposited thereon.

11. A cathode comprising a solid aluminum casting forming a two part mold split along its medial plane and ha ving its opposing faces machined flat, and each part having on its exposed surface a single, inte ral layer of electrolytically deposited nic thereto.

12. A hollow metallic article rovided with apertures but otherwise close said article comprising two similarly shaped hollow shells each provided with a fiat outlining edge having a width e ual to the thickness of the metal y. forming t e shell, and said edges adapted to abut edge to edge along the longitudinal medial plane of the article, each shell formed of a single integral layer of electrolytically deposited nickel. Signed at Newark, in the county .of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 7th day of March A. D. 1925.

BLASIUS BART.-

metalli@ mold for forming articles' by "zolv so el adhering 

